Lawyer, court clerks sent to jail for corruption

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Lawyer Tengku Syaifuddin Popon will join his client, former Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh, in prison after the Anticorruption Court convicted him for bribery on Friday.

The same court also jailed two court clerks of the Jakarta High Court for two years and six months for accepting bribes from the lawyer.

Popon was sentenced to two years and three months in jail for bribing the two court clerks, Ramadhan Rizal and M. Soleh, in a bid to overturn Puteh's graft conviction.

The court also ordered the lawyer to pay a Rp 50 million (US$5,000) fine or serve an additional three months in prison.

"The defendant is guilty of corruption, that is bribing officials or state administrators," presiding judge Gusrizal told the court.

Prosecutors from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) had sought a four-year jail term for Popon.

The panel of five judges argued that the crime committed by Popon had tainted the reputation of the country's judiciary.

Popon was caught red-handed by KPK investigators on June 15 handing over a bag containing Rp 250 million in cash to Ramadhan Rizal and M. Soleh.

The money was intended to bribe the two court clerks, so that they would help overturn Puteh's 10-year graft sentence handed down by a lower court.

The high court upheld the sentence, although it dropped the main charge against Puteh. The Supreme Court subsequently upheld the 10-year sentence and ordered him to pay some Rp 6 billion in compensation to the state.

Popon has denied any wrongdoing, claiming he only acted as a courier for Said Salim, a court clerk at the South Sumatra High Court, who is a close friend of Puteh. Prosecutors failed to present Said to testify in the bribery trial.

Although neither clerk would have held much sway in Puteh's case, the judges said that "they have sufficient power to influence" the verdict.

An emotional Popon said he would appeal against his conviction as he considered it unfair.

In a separate hearing, the same panel of judges convicted Rizal and Soleh for the same case, sending them to jail for two years and six months -- three months longer than Popon will serve.

The judges found them guilty of accepting bribes.

"Both defendants have violated their oath (as court officials). As court clerks, they should have supported the anticorruption drive," Gusrizal said.

Prosecutors had earlier demanded that the Anticorruption Court jail Rizal and Soleh for four-and-half years.

Firman Wijaya, who acted for Rizal and Soleh in the trial, said his clients would appeal against the verdict.

Popon, Rizal and Soleh have been detained at the Jakarta Police Headquarters since they were arrested five months ago. The KPK usually sends graft convicts to prison after the Anticorruption Court issues a verdict.